The walls in San Francisco mean business. Or, more accurately, they mean
"don't do your business here." That's after a new, fast-moving pilot program to paint walls with liquid-repellant paint which is already deterring public urinators and making its first big splash.
Testing out a new pee repellent that "pees back" to prevent public urination. pic.twitter.com/6eDJ4w9MWH
— SF Public Works (@sfpublicworks) July 23, 2015
"Hold it!" read posted signs at freshly painted walls in the Mission District. "This wall is not a public restroom. Please respect San Francisco and seek relief in an appropriate place." Those appropriate places might include such options as the Tenderloin Pit Stop, another program providing "facilities" — toilets and sinks, needle disposal, and dog waste stations.
“We have been sending crews out every day to see if there is a urine smell or if they see wet on the walls,” San Francisco Public Works' Rachel Gordon tells the Chronicle. “So far, so good. Our crews haven’t smelled the stench of urine in our hot-spot areas as much.”
"We'll spend the next six to eight months monitoring the situation — with our noses and eyes," writes the Department of Public Works. "We'll also track requests to clean urination to see if they change in the pee wall locations, or increase in other places."
“I am not prepared to say 100 percent that there haven’t been people peeing at these locations,” Gordon added. “They also could be relieving themselves nearby. It’s gotten a pretty good community reaction. We’ve had dozens of calls from other property owners and city agencies who want to put the coating on their properties.”
Previously: In San Francisco, The Walls Pee On You
